Overhead hand operated door lock

ABSTRACT

An overhead hand operated door lock intended for use with a sliding overhead garage type door having a bracket adapted for mounting to the door frame above the top edge of the door with a separate locking plate adapted to be removably mounted onto a projecting end of the bracket in a position adjacent a top edge portion of the door in a manner adapted to engage the top portion of the door to prevent the same from being opened from a closed vertical position to an opened horizontal position.

United States Patent [191 Eskoff 51 Oct. 22, 1974 OVERHEAD HAND OPERATEDDOOR LOCK [76] Inventor: Alexander Eskoff, 4214 Euclid Ave.,

East Chicago, 111. 46312 [22] Filed: July 5, 1973 121] App]. No; 376,804

[52] U.S. Cl 292/262, 292/288, 292/D1G. 36 [51] Int. Cl. E05c 17/04 [58]Field of Search 292/300, DIG. 36, 262, 292/292, 295, 339, 288; 248/274,288, 224; 16/82, 83

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 656,456 8/1900 Hirsch248/224 X 826,538 7/1906 Carter..... 951,261 3/1910 Shean 1,249,08612/1917 Hipes.. 1,623,483 4/1927 Hodny 2,564,600 8/1951 Hummer 292/288 X2,917,335 12/1959 3,059,105 10/1962 3,159,205 12/1964 3,620,483 11/1971Weinberger .i 292/288 X Primary Examiner-Roy D. Frazier AssistantExaminer-Peter A. Aschenbrenner ABSTRACT 2 Claims, 4 Drawing FiguresOVERHEAD HAND OPERATED DOOR LOCK BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION l. Field ofthe Invention This invention relates generally to locking devices andmoreparticularly to a hand operated door lock intended for use withoverhead sliding garage doors to prevent unauthorized opening of thegarage door from the outside from the closed vertical position to theopen horizontal position, the lock being operable without requiring anykeys, tools, or the like.

2. Description of the Prior Art It appears that every year the number ofthefts and vandalism occurrences about residential properties, garagestorage properties and the like is constantly increasing, with the priorart acknowledging this increase by providing different types of lockingdevices adapted for securing a garage door of the sliding overhead typeagainst unauthorized entry. However, such door locks are very expensiveso that for economical reasons they have not met wide acceptance amongthe vast number of home owners and small gas station owners who stillwish some type of protection against unauthorized into their garages.

Prior art devices are not readily suitable for residential home type useboth due to their initial cost as well as to their complexity ofinstallation and complexity of usage which would discourage a normalhomeowner from constantly making full use of the locking device suchthat the garage would still not be fully protected at all times. Itwould thus be desirable to provide a readily opera ble and readilyinstalled inexpensive locking device suitable for use by the normal homeowner to positively retain the sliding overhead garage door in a closedposition against attempts to open the same such as for purposes ofvandalism and theft.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention remedies and overcomesall of the foregoing deficiencies and disadvantages of presentlyavailable locking devices by providing a novel locking device intendedfor ease of installation by the normal homeowner without any specialrequired mechanical skills and which is operable without requiring keysor special tools in a manner to positively retain a sliding typeoverhead garage door in the closed vertical position against anyattempts at raising the same by potential vandals, burglars, and anyother individuals attempting unauthorized entry from the outsidethereof.

It is a feature of the present invention to provide an overhead handoperated door locking device adapted to be quickly and easily applied toa door frame having a sliding overhead type garage door associatedtherewith in a manner to securely fasten the same in a closed verticalposition without requiring keys or special tools, and which may bequickly and readily disengaged from the door to permit the authorizedopening of the same.

A further feature of the invention is to provide a door lock of simpleconstruction which can be readily attached to a door frame and readilyoperable to effectually holdthe door closed against operation from theoutside.

Yet still a further feature of the invention is the provision of a doorlock which is simple in its constrpction and which is positive in itsoperation to prevent the unauthorized opening of an overhead type doorfrom the outside; one which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture dueto its simplicity of construction; one which is rugged and durable andwhich therefore may be guaranteed by the manufacturer to withstand theintended usage without fear of breakage or failure under unauthorizedattempts of entry through the door; one which is readily attached to thedoor frame utilizing normal readily available tools; one which isoperable between a locking and an unlocking position without requiringany special keys, tools, or the like; and one which, otherwise, is -welladapted to perform the services required of it, are further desirablefeatures which have been borne in mind in the production and developmentof the present invention.

Other features and advantages of this invention will be apparent .duringthe course of the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings forming apart of this specification, and in which like referencecharacters areemployed to designate like parts throughout the same:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the locking device ofthe invention attached to a garage beam above a door opening andassociated with the top edge of the back surface of a sliding overheaddoor;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the bracket, door beam, and garagedoor or FIG. 1 showing the open horizontal position of the door inphantom configuration;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the locking deviceof the present invention secured to a beam of the door frame; and

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of a modified form of the lockingplate of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings indetail and in particular to FIGS. 1-3 inclusive, a preferred form of alocking device embodying the invention is designated in its entirety bythe reference numeral 10 and is comprised of three component parts,namely a generally U-shaped mounting bracket 11, a generally U-shapedtelescoping bracket member 12, and an elongated locking plate 14 adaptedto be removably attached to the telescoping member 12. The lockingdevice 10 is preferably manufactured out of heavy gauge metal, such assteel or aluminum, or may be manufactured out of any other suitablesatisfactory material, such as hard wood or heavy gauge plastic whichhas the required structural characteristics to operate and functionwithin the scope of the invention.

The mounting bracket 11 is of a general U-shaped configuration having anelongated body member 21 of rectangular shape with a top leg portion 22and a bottom leg portion 23 each having one end respectively connectedto the top and bottom ends of the body member and projectingperpendicularly outwardly therefrom in planes parallel to one another.The top leg portion 22 is provided with a series of longitudinallyspaced openings 24 disposed therein and extending axially therethrough,with the bottom leg portion being similarly provided with a series oflongitudinally spaced openings 25 extending axially therethrough, therespective openings 24 and 25 being in axial alignment.

The telescoping bracket member 12 is of a general U-shaped configurationhaving a body member 31 extending parallel to body member 21 and spacedlongitudinally therefrom, and having a top leg portion 32 having one endattached to the top end of the body member and projectingperpendicularly outward therefrom in a direction toward the mountingbracket member 11, and also having a bottom leg member 33 having one endattached to the bottom end of the body member 31 and projectingoutwardly therefrom in the same direction as top leg member 32 in amanner parallel thereto. The top leg member 32 is provided with aplurality of longitudinally spaced openings 34 extending axiallytherethrough, with the bottom leg portion 33 being provided with aseries of longitudinally spaced openings 35 extending axiallytherethrough, the respective openings 34 and 35 being in axial alignmentwith each other.

Telescoping bracket member 12 is adjustably connected to mountingbracket member 11 by placing the top and bottom leg members 32 and 33 inrespective juxtaposition with the top and bottom leg members 22 and 23with selected openings 34 and 35 disposed in axial alignment withselected openings 24 and 25, with the members being secured in theselected adjusted position by a threaded bolt 37 axially insertedthrough a pair of aligned openings 24 and 34 and secured therein by thenut 38. Similarly, a threaded bolt 37 is inserted axially throughaligned openings 25 and 35 and secured therein by a nut 38'.

The body member 21 of the mounting bracket member 11 is provided with apair of spaced apart openings 40 extending axially therethrough, with apair of screws 41 adapted to pass through the openings 40 and secure thebracket in a vertical position on a beam structural member 42 which isdisposed above a garage door type opening having a sliding overhead door43 mounted for operation relative thereto. It is to be understood thatbeam 42 may form a part of the frame opening defining the door opening,or may be any other structural member mounted above the door opening.

The body member 31 is provided on its outermost surface 45 with a pairof vertically spaced horizontally extending cylindrical pins 46 eachhaving an enlarged head portion 47 formed integrally thereon and spacedhorizontally from surface 45.

The locking plate 14 is of an elongated rectangular configuration havinga front surface 51, a back surface 52, a top end 53, a bottom end 54,and opposed side edges 55 and 56. A pair of vertically spaced L-shapedslots 60 are provided in the top portion of the locking plate 14extending completely therethrough between front and back surfaces 51 and52, each of the L- shaped slots having a leg portion 61 extendinglongitudinally of the locking plate, with a foot portion 62 each havingone end connected to the respective leg portion with the opposite endextending out of the side edge 56. The vertical spacing between slots 60is identical to the vertical spacing between pins 46, with the width ofthe leg and foot portions of each of the slots being slightly greaterthan the diameter of the associated pins but being less than thediameter of the enlarged head portion 47 on each of the pins.

The locking plate 14 is adapted to be removably connected to bracketmember 12 by receiving pins 46 in respective slots 60 such that the topportion of the back surface 52 of the locking plate is in juxtapositionwith the outermost surface 45 of the body member 31 of the bracketmember 12, the mounting being clearly understood from the drawings as tothe pins being first received in the respective foot portions 62 untilbecoming aligned with respective leg portions 61, at which time thelocking plate moves vertically downward to engage the pins in the topend portions of the respective leg slot portions 61. To assist in thisdownward movement of the locking plate 14 in the engagement of the pins46 in respective leg portions 61 of the slots, a suitable weight 63 isattached to the bottom of the locking plate by a screw or bolt member 64such that gravity acting on the weight 63 will tend to move the lockingplate vertically downward to engage the pins 46 in the leg portions 61after the pins are properly aligned therein after passing through therespective foot portions 62.

Referring now to FIG. 4 there is shown a modified form of a lockingplate which is designated generally by reference numeral 14' this beingidentical to locking plate 14 except that instead of weight 63 securedthereto there is provided an opening in the bottom end portion thereofextending through the front and back surfaces 51 and 52 adapted for ahanging type weight (not shown) to be tied thereto by suitable cable,wire, string, or the like and dangled downwardly therefrom in a mannerto weight the locking plate 14' in the same manner as weight 63 weightsthe locking plate 14. In view of the similarities between locking plate14 and locking plate 14, similar reference numerals representing similarelements have been utilized except being further identified by a primemark inserted thereafter.

In operation, and referring to FIG. 2, it is seen that the mountingbracket 11 is secured in a vertical position above a door opening, withtelescoping bracket member 12 selectively adjusted to project outwardlyfrom the beam 42 a distance beyond the innermost surface of the door 43,after which this position is maintained by bolts 37, 37' and nuts 38, 38in the manner as aforedescribed. The door 43 has a front surface 71, aback surface 72, and a top edge 73, with the horizontal open position ofthe door being as shown in phantom configuration in FIG. 2 andidentified generally by reference numeral 75.

With the door 43 in the vertically closed position, the locking plate 14is removably connected to the pins 46 so as to project outwardly anddownwardly therefrom in a manner to intercept the path of travel of thedoor when it would be moved from the vertical closed position to thehorizontal open position 75, this path of travel being generallydesignated by arrows 76 in FIG. 2. It is preferable that the length ofthe locking plate 14 extend beyond such path 76 and be in close adjacentproximity to the top portion of back surface 72 as the closer the bottomend 54 of the locking plate to the door 43 then the smaller openingsliding type movement of the door being permitted.

It is seen from FIG. 2 that when the locking plate is in position it isimpossible to raise the door from the vertical closed position 43 intothe horizontal open position as designated by reference numeral 75 sincethe locking plate is in the required path of travel of the door blockingthe same so that the door cannot be opened. Further, it is seen thatlocking plate 14 is readily removed from pins 46 by merely verticallyraising the locking plate a short distance and then sliding the same offof the pins through the leg portions of the slots 60 such that door 43may then be raised into the horizontal open position.

There is thus provided a relatively inexpensive device exceptionallysimple in operation and yet positive in operation in maintainingoverhead sliding type doors, such as encountered in residential garages,gas stations,

and the like positively secured in a closed locked position whilereadily permitting the unlocking of the door without requiring keys,tools, and the like.

It is to be understood that the form of this invention herewith shownand described is to be taken as a preferred examplepf the same, and thatthis invention is not to be limited to the exact arrangement of partsshown in the accompanying drawings or described in this specification asvarious changes in the details of construction as to shape, size, andarrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from thespirit of the invention, the scope of the novel concepts thereof, or thescope of the sub-joined claims.

I claim:

1. A hand operated door locking device intended for use with a slidingoverhead type door of the type commonly found on garages and the like,the door being slidable between an open horizontal position and a closedvertical position relative to a door frame defining a door opening, thedoor having a front surface facing the door opening, a rear surface, atop edge, and a bottom edge, the lock comprising:

bracket means adapted for mounting on the door frame above the top edgeof the vertically closed door and projecting horizontally outwardlytherefrom in a manner to overlap the thickness of the door;

a locking plate removably mounted on the bracket means adapted toproject therefrom to a position adjacent the top edge portion of theback surface of the vertically closed door in the normal door trajectorywhen being opened in a manner to engage the top edge of the door uponany attempt to slide the door upwardly to its open horizontal positionso as to prevent the opening of the door;

the bracket means comprising a first U-shaped member including a bodyportion and two spaced apart parallelly extending leg portions extendingoutwardly in the same direction from opposed ends of the body portion; asecond U-shaped member having a body portion disposed parallel to thebody portion of the first member and having a pair of parallel spacedapart leg portions extending outwardly from respective top and bottomends of the body portion in planes parallel to each other; a series ofopenings spaced along the pair of leg portions of the first member withrespective openings in each leg portion being in axial alignment witheach other, the axis of the openings being substantially parallel to theaxis of the first member body portion; a series of spaced apart openingsextending along the pair of leg portions of the second member with eachof the respective openings in each leg portion being in axial alignmentwith each other and with the axis of the openings extendingsubstantially parallel to the axis of the second member body portion;the first member leg portions adapted to be placed in juxtaposition withthe respective second member leg portions and to be telescoped relativethereto in an adjustable manner with the selected telescope position ofthe respective first and second members being retained by the alignmentof respective openings in the different leg portions and axiallyinserting bolts through the respective aligned openings to secure thefirst and second members in the adjusted telescoped positions; theoutermost surface of the second member body portion being provided witha pair of spaced apart pins projecting outwardly therefrom in aperpendicular manner thereto adapted for removable engagement with thelocking plate, each pin projecting a distance slightly greater than thethickness of the associated locking plate, with each pin provided withan enlarged head portion thereon for utilization in retaining thelocking plate in proper position on the bracket meahs; and

the locking plate is of an elongated rectangular configuration, the topportion of the locking plate provided with a pair of spaced apartL-shaped slots therein, the spacing between the L-shaped slots beingsubstantially identical to the spacing between the pin projections onthe second member body portion, each slot having a leg portion extendinglongitudinally of the locking plate with the bottom end of each legportion connected to a foot portion of the slot which extendssubstantially perpendicular to the respective leg portion and opens outof one edge of the locking plate, the width of the foot and leg portionsof each of the slots being slightly greater than the diameter of the pinprojections and less than the diameter of. the enlarged pin headswhereby the slots may be slidingly engaged onto the respectiveprojecting pins and locked thereon in the leg portions of the slots forremovable connection of the locking plate to the bracket means with thebottom end portion of the locking plate extending into the plane ofopening and closing travel of the door in a manner to block the path oftravel of the door and prevent opening of the same until after thelocking plate is removed from the bracket. 2. The hand operated doorlocking device as set forth in claim 1 further characterized by weightmeans attached to the bottom end portion of the locking plate to assistin the proper operation of the same.

UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION, Patent N5.3,843,178 Dated octdber 22. 1974 I Alexander Eskoff I I Inventor(s) Itis certified that error -appears in the above-identified patent and thatsaid Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

On t @Wfsheet [76] "4214 Euclid Ave. East Chicago; :11. 463l 2"' shouidread 4214 Euclid Ave'., East Chicago,

Ind. 46312 Signed and sealed this 7th'day of January T975.

(SEAL) Attest:

I-IcCOY u. GIBSON JR. I c. MARSHALL DANN Attest ing OfficerCommissionergof Patents FORM PO-105O (10-69) USCOMM-DC GOING-P69 u.s.cqvulmiur um'mm omen; 930

1. A hand operated door locking device intended for use with a slidingoverhead type door of the type commonly found on garages and the like,the door being slidable between an open horizontal position and a closedvertical position relative to a door frame defining a door opening, thedoor having a front surface facing the door openIng, a rear surface, atop edge, and a bottom edge, the lock comprising: bracket means adaptedfor mounting on the door frame above the top edge of the verticallyclosed door and projecting horizontally outwardly therefrom in a mannerto overlap the thickness of the door; a locking plate removably mountedon the bracket means adapted to project therefrom to a position adjacentthe top edge portion of the back surface of the vertically closed doorin the normal door trajectory when being opened in a manner to engagethe top edge of the door upon any attempt to slide the door upwardly toits open horizontal position so as to prevent the opening of the door;the bracket means comprising a first U-shaped member including a bodyportion and two spaced apart parallelly extending leg portions extendingoutwardly in the same direction from opposed ends of the body portion; asecond U-shaped member having a body portion disposed parallel to thebody portion of the first member and having a pair of parallel spacedapart leg portions extending outwardly from respective top and bottomends of the body portion in planes parallel to each other; a series ofopenings spaced along the pair of leg portions of the first member withrespective openings in each leg portion being in axial alignment witheach other, the axis of the openings being substantially parallel to theaxis of the first member body portion; a series of spaced apart openingsextending along the pair of leg portions of the second member with eachof the respective openings in each leg portion being in axial alignmentwith each other and with the axis of the openings extendingsubstantially parallel to the axis of the second member body portion;the first member leg portions adapted to be placed in juxtaposition withthe respective second member leg portions and to be telescoped relativethereto in an adjustable manner with the selected telescope position ofthe respective first and second members being retained by the alignmentof respective openings in the different leg portions and axiallyinserting bolts through the respective aligned openings to secure thefirst and second members in the adjusted telescoped positions; theoutermost surface of the second member body portion being provided witha pair of spaced apart pins projecting outwardly therefrom in aperpendicular manner thereto adapted for removable engagement with thelocking plate, each pin projecting a distance slightly greater than thethickness of the associated locking plate, with each pin provided withan enlarged head portion thereon for utilization in retaining thelocking plate in proper position on the bracket means; and the lockingplate is of an elongated rectangular configuration, the top portion ofthe locking plate provided with a pair of spaced apart L-shaped slotstherein, the spacing between the Lshaped slots being substantiallyidentical to the spacing between the pin projections on the secondmember body portion, each slot having a leg portion extendinglongitudinally of the locking plate with the bottom end of each legportion connected to a foot portion of the slot which extendssubstantially perpendicular to the respective leg portion and opens outof one edge of the locking plate, the width of the foot and leg portionsof each of the slots being slightly greater than the diameter of the pinprojections and less than the diameter of the enlarged pin heads wherebythe slots may be slidingly engaged onto the respective projecting pinsand locked thereon in the leg portions of the slots for removableconnection of the locking plate to the bracket means with the bottom endportion of the locking plate extending into the plane of opening andclosing travel of the door in a manner to block the path of travel ofthe door and prevent opening of the same until after the locking plateis removed from the bracket.
 2. The hand operated door locking device asset forth in claim 1 further characterized by weight means attachEd tothe bottom end portion of the locking plate to assist in the properoperation of the same.